Dell was definitely one of the first companies to really embrace 4K UHD monitor technology and since they did that, the company hasn’t disappointed too much with the quality of its new products. The P2715Q is no exception to this and as one of Dell’s newer ultra HD monitors, it succeeds in a few places where previous models didn’t do so well.

More advanced features like higher refresh rates, excellent aspect ratios and an IPS panel design make this newer model Dell monitor a piece of essential 4K PC technology worth considering.

The Good

The 27 inch P2715Q goes quite far with a number of excellent features that make it into an ideal 4K monitor not just for regular web browsing but also for UHD video playback, professional visual design work and, of course, some hardcore 4k PC gaming in full-blown ultra HD 4K resolution.

For starters, there is its aspect ratio of 16:9, which is the absolute best ideal for gaming and perfectly good for a number of other things like video watching and visual editing. So as far as this goes, you won’t lose out on much regardless of what you use the P2715Q for.

Next up, we have to give it to Dell for making sure this is a well-connected PC monitor. It offers a wide range of connection options, makes sure that you can view your content at a robust and smooth 60 frames per second refresh rate and comes with a screen that offers a broad, vibrant color gamut.

Oddly, the P2715Q doesn’t particularly impress right out of the box. It’s not the most elegant looking monitor on the market and some of its physical design looks almost a bit too boxy. However, this appearance is deceptive and what looks like a cheap construction at a distance turns out to be something quite sturdy and stable up close. The relatively slim panel doesn’t waste space on pointless frills and feels solid as you handle it into position. Furthermore, the hefty looking buttons on the screen may seem clunky but they are also tough and ready for some serious physical abuse. They have none of the cheap and tiny plastic design that breaks apart easily in lower quality monitors.

Finally, there is the also tough ergonomic stand, which is extremely flexible for adjustment of height, tilt, pivot and swivel. Best of all, while its position can easily be changed, it’s not so loose that it slides out of adjustment. Also, the monitor is of course VESA capable so third party stands are okay too.

The Dell P2715Q 27 inch monitor is not a PC monitor that leaves much to complain about. However, there are a couple of things we can call less than ideal. For starters, some people might be turned off by its overall appearance. Like we already said, this is a sturdy, robust device but it also takes its utilitarian nature a bit too far in terms of appearance. Elegance and sleek design are not its strong features by any stretch.

Furthermore, there is also the problem of adjustability for image controls. These can be manipulated with the tough monitor buttons we mentioned earlier and a nicely precise and simple on-screen menu. The only problem is that the simplicity of the visual adjustment menu goes a bit too far and not many options are included.

A user who wants to tinker with the P2715Q’s display properties can really only adjust brightness, sharpness, contrast and the RGB values to some extent. For an otherwise excellent 4K monitor that costs several hundred dollars, these weak controls are a bit disappointing to behold.

Final Thoughts

While it’s not the prettiest 4K monitor on the market or the most flexible in terms of visual controls, the P2715Q does offer a tough, robust package that completely complies with the needs of high level 4K visual display technologies. If you’re a PC gamer who wants 4K resolution, the P2715Q is a particularly good choice and if you’re a visual design professional, it’s a workable monitor as well, although better but more expensive models are available. Alternatively, you can take a look at the Samsung UE590 4k Monitor or the Asus PB287Q.

The main highlights of the P2715Q include its screen display capabilities, its connectivity options and a few other technological extras that the monitor comes packed with.

For starters, there are plenty of connectivity options. In this regard, Dell really went the whole nine yards and made sure that everything from HDMI 1.4 to USB 3.0 and its smaller 2.0 version were covered. There are also ports for DisplayPort 1.2 and Mini-DisplayPort. There is also a DisplayPort out port so that the monitor can be daisy chained with others to form a larger single display.

What also makes the HDMI 2.0 ports and DisplayPort 1.2 so useful is that they give you dual options for connecting the P2715Q to your PC for gaming at a full 60Hz and thus getting 60 frames per second of smooth rendering (assuming of course that your PC itself is powerful enough to handle this on a 4K monitor). Because most GPUs out on sale today don’t connect for 60Hz via HDMI, the DisplayPort 1.2 connection on the P2715Q is there to do the job.

Either way, the key fact is that the monitor itself is ready and waiting for maximal frame rates, leaving you to worry only about getting a decent enough PC and GPU to handle the power of the P2715Q.

Finally, there is the overall fact that the P2715Q is an excellent and pioneering 4K monitor amongst the Dell models available and among many other models from other brands. It was one of the first to offer truly excellent image quality, a robustly built and ergonomic stand and offer fully functional visual connectivity at 3840 x 2160 pixels of full UHD while costing a price that is more than reasonable for these kinds of specs.

For starters, this is an IPS monitor we’re talking about here so while it does have excellent viewing angles and superb color reproduction, the response time can lag just a little bit in some things. However, this might not be noticeable if you’re running the monitor from a high quality, fast PC with a good GPU and CPU.

Furthermore, in the P2715Q in particular, the colors are very strong, very rich and their reproduction is augmented even further by deep, rich blacks. When you add in the sharpness of full 4K ultra HD resolution at 3840 x 2160 pixels, you get yourself one very rich display with nearly crystal clarity. All those 4K pixels translate out to 163 pixels per inch on the monitor’s 27 inch screen.

As for the color gamut, it’s basically perfect and in tests has been shown to span the full 100% of the sRGB spectrum and about 79% of the AdobeRGB spectrum. While doing this, it also maintains a very decent contrast ratio of 690:1 at maximum brightness and only slightly less contrast at 650:1 at half of full brightness. Few other monitors on sale today offer wider color gamuts and the majority of cheaper 4K screens only manage about 70 to 75% of the AdobeRGB spectrum, so with this, the P2715Q is ahead of the curve. Furthermore, its contrast ratio is one of the best on the market when it comes to a UHD PC monitor. Its a great monitor to watch movies and Netflix at 4k.

Additionally, the color accuracy of this wide gamut spectrum is very good in the P2715Q. It shows a color difference of just 1.74 and even most of this is due to the cyan and green range. For reference, any differences below 1 aren’t detectable to the naked human eye so the P2715Q is basically close to perfect at reproducing color digitally.

Basically, what you get with this 4K ultra HD monitor is a level of image reproduction that comes with virtually no easily visible flaws and while the above-mentioned problem with Cyan and green can make some scenes look a tiny bit cooler than natural, the flaw is barely perceptible. Furthermore, the excellent contrast ratio compensates nicely by giving content some truly fine levels of depth.

This is a 4K monitor, so you can’t expect 4k UHD TV levels of image vibrancy, but for a monitor, it really does its best to come close.

Connectivity

As we’d already covered, this monitor excels in the connectivity department and offers just about everything you’d need for a fully fluid gaming or content viewing experience between itself and a proper 4K PC.

You have several HDMI 1.4 ports. the P2715Q also comes with a DisplayPort 1.2 port. Furthermore, a second DisplayPort out port is available for chaining two monitors together into a single display, although doing this will also reduce the refresh rate to just 30 fps.

Finally, the monitor’s five USB ports on the rear panel of the monitor. Three of these are 3.0 and one is a 2.0 port, so you can use most of them to transfer 4k video and audio quickly enough.

Pricing

Finally we get down to the cost of the Dell P2715Q 27 inch 4K UHD monitor. While not the cheapest display on the market by far, it is definitely well priced considering all of its connectivity features, its 60Hz refresh rate and its high color gamut. The current retail price on Amazon.com is $504.15.

As we’ve already covered above, the Dell P2715Q doesn’t have many defects and is in fact well above average in terms of quality. However, its visual controls are a bit too simple, it is not exactly a pretty or elegant piece of hardware and, because it is an IPS panel monitor, some lag time in displaying content might be notable.

Also, there is the problem of scaling to think about though this isn’t Dells fault so much as it is the fault of those who produce PC software without proper scaling for 4K built into it: The 4K screen might show some graphics, particularly graphics that belong to older software or an older OS in an unusably tiny size or scaled up in a horribly pixelated way. This won’t happen with newer versions of Windows like 8.1 or the upcoming Windows 10 but when it does occur, it occurs because a software maker didn’t factor ultra HD upscaling into the visual rendering of their software/app interfaces.

The bottom line is that we have an excellent 4K monitor in the Dell P2715Q. It may not be pretty but it’s close to the top of the line as far as this hardware category goes. And the price is quite reasonable.

I’m a bit confused when it comes to hdmi connections on this monitor. Does it have hdmi 1.4 or 2.0 or both? I’m considering buying this monitor and will need to connect it through hdmi over 15m, and I want it to work in max resolution and at 60Hz. Will this be possible? If not at this distance, will it be possible at say 7 or 10m (still with hdmi)? (A 15m dp cable is just way too expensive here.)

Regardless of distance, do I need an hdmi 2.0 cable or will a 1.4 cable do? People seem to disagree on the actual difference in the cables.

Hello Heidi, to my recollection, the Dell Ultra HD 4k P2715Q comes with a single HDMI 1.4 port. Given this, no it won’t work via HDMI at 60Hz. For that only HDMI 2.0 will do so in this regard, there is definitely a difference between the older and newer version of HDMI. However, depending on what you want to use the monitor for, you can get 4K video at 60Hz via one of the monitor’s DisplayPort 1.2 connections.

Then why does it say in your review: “Dell really went the whole nine yards and made sure that everything from HDMI 2.0 to USB 3.0 and its smaller 2.0 version were covered.” It says HDMI 2.0 right there.

Agree with Heidi. On Dell website as of Jan.2017, I see it clearly – [email protected], meaning NOT HDMI-2.0, sorry. This article is misleading the audience in this aspect. I must be revised to be correct !!!

The Dell P2715Q is a great monitor. Very happy I bought it. I got it for £480 in the UK which is great value.

As a side note, you mention the OS’s the monitor works with, which I find odd. The P2715Q works brilliantly with Linux, maybe you should mention this if you want to say what OS’s it works on. I run Kubuntu and Fedora and both look stunning at 4k.

Overall a nice review Stephen, however I did notice an error in the specs listing that was incorrect. You mention the monitor has a “vibrant color gamut” and “Very high color gamut”, yet you stated 16.7m colors with the specs. This is actually a wide gamut panel that displays 1.07 billion colors, which is why the price is higher than standard gamut panels.

Also I believe the top photo is a Dell U2715H which does not have the same design as the P2715Q, I was a bit confused at first if I was reading the correct review.

In my opinion, no. Typically, I would have one or two 4K monitors I could point to and say: “that monitor is definitely more user-friendly and has better features for the user,” but in this case, the Dell P2715Q is actually the 4K monitor I would recommend to anyone who wants an affordable 4K monitor with excellent resolution, color vibrancy, connectivity, and responsiveness.
The resolution on this Dell monitor is a true-4K (3840 x 2160) Ultra High Definition display, and it even provides the best panel available for Ultra High Definition use. This model has nearly perfect accuracy with a deltaE < 3. This means the color coverage right out of the box, has an amazing, high-color depth of 1.07 billion colors, and each hue is consistent from any viewpoint within the 178/178-degree viewing angle.
Other 4K monitors such as those by Acer, may be flashy while the Dell is not, but this Dell 4K has physical buttons, which is actually a favorite of almost every user who has bought Dell monitors before. Actual text shows up instead of icons, too, which is about as user-friendly as it can get. The ease of use right out of the box, and the full adjustable and ergonomic stand make this a more user-friendly 4K monitor than most.

Hi, thx for the review and sry for my English. I want to buy 4K monitor and I waver between this1 and BenQ BL2711U 27.
I will use it for movies, internet and programming (like 10-12 hours per day). I am front/back end WEB developer. Sometimes, when I work on front-end, I am using and Photoshop. Which 1 to choice ?

As an external monitor for an iMac I bought an Dell P2715q with following issues : I see constantly flickering, I see IMAGE RETENTION as if the former image has burned in the screen ! Has anybody solutions for this problems ? Compared with the Imac 5K Retina screen the Dell screen has asthonising less quality. I already tried all kinds of cables without any difference

Old article I know, but probably still getting a lot of hits, especially now with the price cuts to clear them out for the new ones, so, another correction for you – this monitor supports 1.07 billion colours, not 16.7 million 🙂

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